Chapter 111

In co-op games, you usually need cooperation from two or more users to progress through the game.

It’s different from typical team games.

In team games, even if one person is bad or leaves, as long as the others perform well, they can fill the gap, albeit with some difficulty.

But co-op games?

It’s systematically difficult to fill that gap.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

But the current situation wasn’t one of those.

Because this was a tutorial that needed to teach future cooperation.

A tutorial needs to teach the most basic cooperation, so why would they make it so one person could handle everything alone?

“I had a feeling it was a tutorial, but I didn’t expect it to be this difficult.”

Bang!

Bang!

Watching the compression robot strike the base of the garbage mountain, Seo-jun said.

“Right. No wonder it has nightmare attached to the difficulty. Can you carry?”

“Possible.”

“Wow, you’re incredibly reassuring, aren’t you?”

“Be careful from now on. If you die, it’s over.”

The mission money had accumulated to nearly a million won.

Even split with Tae-woo, five hundred thousand won was a huge amount of money.

It might seem small since he’d recently made such big money by winning the battlefield in just one day, but the battlefield wasn’t an hourly wage—it was three weeks’ worth of pay for 21 days.

In contrast, this was an hourly wage.

And the amount was continuing to rise in real time.

“I’ll go down first to check the pattern and figure out how to clear it, so wait behind me.”

“Yes sir!”

-Tae-woo, just play normally like always lmao

-For real lol if you play normally it’ll be mission failure immediately LOL

-I believe in the streamer. He’ll do fucking great. But I also believe in that streamer over there. Please troll!

-Honestly, he’s above average skill level, but he’s not a talent who can clear souls-like games in one go, right?

Swooooosh.

Seo-jun slid down like skiing, just like Tae-woo had done.

Then he measured the length of the rope he’d seen earlier and prepared to jump.

As expected, the compression robot immediately raised its arms and struck down to trap Seo-jun inside.

Just before the impact would shake the floor Seo-jun was standing on and make the person standing above lose balance.

Seo-jun jumped up first.

Bang!

After striking down with its arms, the compression robot immediately swept up the trash, but Seo-jun had already escaped into the air.

However, he couldn’t float in the air indefinitely, and just as the scraper that had been pulled inward and Seo-jun’s falling body were about to collide.

Seo-jun fired the rope toward the robot’s right shoulder while simultaneously kicking off the air.

Swooooosh.

Seo-jun, who backflipped through the air to avoid the scraper, landed safely while scraping the ground.

In Seo-jun’s hand was a taut rope.

The grappling hook had caught.

‘Game assistance is pretty convenient.’

He’d thrown it casually, but the grappling hook had hooked perfectly.

It would have caught even without assistance, but still.

“Whew.”

Suddenly power flowed into his arms.

Because the robot with the grappling hook caught on its shoulder tried to pull it out.

A tug-of-war between Seo-jun and the robot began.

“Looking at how your strength is similar to heavy machinery, you must have incredible brute force.”

A taut equilibrium of forces was achieved.

-He really is super strong lmao

-He’s matching something that’s almost half the size of the garbage mountain

-He’s probably at least the world goat in arm wrestling

In reality, this would be impossible no matter who you brought, and even if you brought people blessed with divine strength from a past life, it wouldn’t seem possible. But since it’s a game anyway.

Feet digging into the floor made of trash as time passed.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

[If I’m alone, holding on is my limit!]

That’s when the narration sounded, and the robot suddenly released the tension in the rope like cutting a taut string and charged at Seo-jun.

The scraper raised high and the rope that fell slack because of it.

‘3 seconds is the limit?’

If it had been someone else, they would have been thrown forward when the balance suddenly broke, but Seo-jun, who doesn’t lose focus during combat, released the power from his hands as soon as the robot let go, so there was no particular crisis.

The robot once again struck down behind Seo-jun as if to surround him, then swept up the trash, and Seo-jun lightly jumped while firing the grappling hook.

Clank.

-Nice

-Since he saw it once, he has some breathing room

-Even when he saw it for the first time, he didn’t get hit, and that’s what makes him the streamer, but there’s no way the same attack would work twice!

-For real lmao

He waited again.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

Crash!

‘As expected, we need one more person to hook on within that time.’

Seo-jun carefully repeated it several more times and judged that Tae-woo was needed to move to the next stage.

“Want to come down now?”

The pattern only had one variation, so he should have learned this much, right?

“Just trust me. I’ve mastered it.”

“Right.”

Seo-jun waited for the confidently descending Tae-woo while dodging another attack.

Seo-jun believed in Tae-woo.

Though in a different sense.

‘He’ll definitely make a mistake.’

He believed!

In the fact that he’ll mess up!

He didn’t say it out loud.

Since Tae-woo might get pissed and actually throw himself to commit suicide on purpose.

This was also possible because he believed in Tae-woo.

If you just gave him a justification, he’d throw away the mission and a million won to mess with Seo-jun.

That’s what friends are like.

Swooooosh.

Seo-jun landed while pulling the rope.

“Throw it.”

“Got it!”

Tae-woo, who had been sliding down, fired the grappling hook toward the left shoulder.

The grappling hook flew straight and hooked properly.

“Oh, so this is how it feels. But what do we do now?”

-Will the 3-second rule apply to this too?

-3-second rule LOL. Sure sure, if you pick up food that fell within 3 seconds, it’s safe

-You mean basketball, right?

-Drive safely following the 3-second rule!

-You’re all talking nonsense. It’s about seniors in school giving underclassmen a 3-second head start.

Seo-jun looked at the chat window full of all sorts of talk with a ridiculous expression, then snapped back to attention.

3 seconds had long passed, but the enemy wasn’t showing much reaction.

“Hey. Want to try pulling?”

He said to Tae-woo, who had been preparing to run immediately if things got dangerous while watching the situation.

“Pull it where?”

“Over here to this garbage pile?”

He felt like he’d said something like that in games before.

-So he wants to bury him? Wow

-The streamer’s true nature is coming out!

-Trying to bury him in the mountains, that’s really it. Be careful, everyone

“Let’s try it.”

“Right.”

Seo-jun pulled hard with his arms.

When he was alone, it had been evenly matched. Now with two people pulling together, there was no way it wouldn’t get dragged.

Seo-jun and Tae-woo instinctively spread out to the sides of the peaks while pulling the rope.

They didn’t forget to run and generate strong momentary force.

That way they could slam the robot into the mountain they were standing on.

The robot got dragged toward them while making this expression.

(＞△＜)

With a tremendous roar, it crashed into the garbage mountain.

Trash scattered in all directions, and three hearts, presumably the robot’s health, appeared at the top of the screen.

Then one heart lost its red color and became empty.

“Bingo. Nice job, Seo-jun.”

“This is how you do it.”

-Found the method

-Are we going to lose again doing just this?

-What safe assets, it looks easy again

-I still believe in Tae-woo

[Nice!]

[Wait, that guy’s not dead yet.]

The robot that had regained consciousness crawled out slowly.

It wasn’t Seo-jun’s imagination that the previously white one had turned red like it was heated up.

Thud thud.

There was trash on its head, shoulders, and all parts of the robot parallel to the ground, and it fell off little by little as the robot moved.

(@ @)

The robot shook its head back and forth in a dazed state, then came to its senses.

(＼ ／)

The robot immediately rolled quickly toward Tae-woo, who was on the opposite side from Seo-jun.

Tae-woo faced the robot and uttered one phrase.

“It’s me again?”

-Lmao did he make enemies?

-What’s the criteria? Did it really get mad because Tae-woo said hello earlier?

-There’s a power meter. That’s why it avoids the streamer, isn’t it?

It’s probably because he was closer.

Seo-jun looked at Tae-woo’s broadcast chat.

-It’s because you’re ugly, so endure it with evil and stubbornness

-If you don’t like it, dodge properly

-Show us once

-Let’s go for the challenge

-How long are you going to keep receiving spoon-feeding, Tae-woo!

They were provoking him.

Everyone had added money thinking it was a safe asset, but they seemed anxious.

That’s why you shouldn’t bet on anything unless you’re certain.

Seo-jun, who had clicked his tongue internally after getting scared when he first bet on a strategy in the battlefield even though he was half-confident, remembered that experience.

Even then, he’d bet on the strategy with half-confidence and still got nervous.

“No, it’s not that I can’t do it. I’ll show you.”

Right.

While Seo-jun was heading toward where Tae-woo and the robot were, the robot approached Tae-woo and raised its arms.

This happened because Tae-woo hadn’t climbed up beforehand.

However, Seo-jun wasn’t particularly worried.

Tae-woo probably hadn’t climbed up early because he was confident.

He should be able to dodge at least that much.

“Oh.”

Tae-woo jumped into the air like Seo-jun, then kicked backward to dodge.

He even fired the grappling hook at the same time.

-?

-He succeeded in one try

-Did we underestimate Tae-woo too much lmao

-Damn it!

Of course, Seo-jun didn’t slow down his approach to Tae-woo because of that.

“Come quickly and hook yours!”

It wasn’t because they needed to cooperate to take down another health point.

The taut rope had momentarily lost tension.

3 seconds?

No.

It broke in less than a second.

The problem was the ground supporting Tae-woo.

The easily flowing, trash-made floor that would collapse if you applied a little force or landed with a double jump.

Not infertile land where it’s hard to grow crops, but an actual floor made of real trash.

If you don’t keep this in mind at all times, you could end up slightly off-balance like Tae-woo right now, and the robot didn’t miss that moment when the taut force weakened and immediately charged.

Tae-woo couldn’t prepare for the sudden change in situation and missed the timing to jump.

Tae-woo helplessly looked up at the huge scraper passing over his head.

Whoooosh.

At that moment.

Seo-jun, who had arrived behind Tae-woo, grabbed the back of Tae-woo’s neck and pulled him back.

Tae-woo fell backward on his butt.

Bang.

The scraper embedded itself just one step in front of Tae-woo’s feet.

-Wow! This is it!

-Whoa…

-Hey, stop cheating! Lmao

-Super save, so cool

It was precise range calculation.

“Wow, shit. I believed in you!”

“Me too.”

“Huh?”

“I said I believed in you too.”

Seo-jun, whose faith hadn’t been betrayed, coolly brushed back his hair and smiled.

He’d known Tae-woo would mess up.

Still, it had been a bit close, but he’d saved him anyway.

It was good that he’d believed.

“What? Why do I feel bad?”

“Stop talking and get ready with the rope.”

Seo-jun left Tae-woo behind and shot forward.

Then he dodged the attacking arm and jumped over the robot while hooking the grappling hook to its shoulder as he passed.

The robot turned 90 degrees to the side from that force.

Tae-woo easily fired the grappling hook at the now defenseless shoulder.

“Got it! Nice!”

-He looks happy

-Feels good to get carried

-Really spoon-feeding him everything lmao

-This was another risky asset, wasn’t it? Damn it

They pulled the robot again and slammed it into a nearby garbage pile.

* * *

Crash!

The third heart’s red color disappeared and turned gray.

The narration flowed.

Tae-woo’s character, Art, spoke.

[Did we get him?]

[Hey, mister.]

[What?]

[Because of you, that guy’s moving again.]

Just as he said, the toy that had been embedded in the garbage pile shuddered in that position, then slowly backed out of the garbage mountain.

Seo-jun looked at that scene with somewhat pitying eyes.

The sight of it backing up was pathetic, and its appearance couldn’t be called good even as empty flattery.

The thing was damaged here and there to the point where the damage was clearly visible, so even though it was an enemy, it was at a level where you had to worry about it.

Also.

Perhaps sensing something, it moved its arms very gently.

But it seemed like it should have been more careful.

Crack.

The long blade that had been attached to the front broke in half.

The toy’s expression right now seemed desperate, but that was probably just Seo-jun’s imagination, right?

-Poor thing lmao

-Is this how phase 2 starts? LOL

-Oh wow, the scraper became twin swords lmao

[Ah, why is it so tough.]

[Right. Huh? Look over there. What’s that door that suddenly opened?]

Seo-jun turned his gaze toward the opening door following the narration.

Rumble.

Along with the sound of something huge moving that hurt the ears, a massive door on the opposite side from where the robot had entered opened upward.

Whoooosh!

And beyond the door, something special was flickering.

Something very red and hot just to look at.

Fire.

Seo-jun, who could guess why it opened without even looking, shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s an incinerator.”

Tae-woo said.

“That’s a bit…”

[That bastard. Should we put him in there?]

[Let’s do it right now!]

-Ah ah…

-I feel sorry somehow T_T

-The one who attacked first was that guy, but why do I feel sorry lmao

-This is self-defense!

-No matter how you look at it, humans are the bad guys LOL